Paul Fishbein

Paul Fishbein used to think his biggest problems were government censors and anti-porn activists. Then he logged on to the Internet. Fishbein is editor and publisher of the Van Nuys-based trade magazine Adult Video News, generally considered the authoritative guide to the $9-billion U.S. sex business. For retailers, AVN offers sales charts and reviews of arcane titles such as "Kitty's Kinky Kapers" and "Ben Dover's Naughty British Babes."

Paul Fishbein used to think his biggest problems were government censors and anti-porn activists. Then he logged on to the Internet. Fishbein is editor and publisher of the Van Nuys-based trade magazine Adult Video News, generally considered the authoritative guide to the $9-billion U.S. sex business. For retailers, AVN offers sales charts and reviews of arcane titles such as "Kitty's Kinky Kapers" and "Ben Dover's Naughty British Babes."

After crashing her white Corvette and injuring her much-glorified face on the way home from another night of hard partying, Shannon Wilsey sent a friend out to walk her Rottweiler, Daisy, and then shot herself in the head. For the 23-year-old sex video superstar known as Savannah, it was the most outrageous act in a short but outrage-filled public life.

On a recent Saturday night, Savannah Stern earned $300 to hang out for seven hours at a party in Santa Monica wearing nothing but a feather boa. The veteran of more than 350 hard-core pornography productions took the job to earn extra cash and to network. But the word at the 35th anniversary party for Hustler magazine was not heartening, especially among the roughly 75 other women working there. "At least five girls I haven't seen in a while came up to me and said, 'Savannah, are you working?

Cal State Fullerton senior Shawn McNulty scored a 9.80 on the rings Saturday night to just miss winning an NCAA individual gymnastics championship before a crowd of 4,918 in the Bob Devaney Sports Complex at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. McNulty tied for second with Paul Fishbein of Illinois-Chicago Circle. They finished five-hundreths of a point behind champion Mark Diab of Iowa State. Titan senior Scott Picquelle, Friday's top qualifier on the pommel horse with a score of 9.

The Orange County Society of Fellows of the Anti-Defamation League presented awards Saturday to those who have helped in its fight against prejudice and anti-Semitism. About 170 people attended the annual dinner and dance at the Irvine Marriott to celebrate the local league's 10th anniversary and to honor the winners. A Class Act Marion Ross, who played Mrs. Cunningham for 11 years on the "Happy Days" television series, received the Artist of the Year Award.

In response to "U.S. to Push Human Rights Globally, Christopher Says" (June 15) on the human rights conference in Vienna, and your editorial ("Rights: Alien Idea in Much of World," June 16): The thoughts and ideas in Warren Christopher's speech in Vienna were undoubtedly laudable and deserve to be supported. However, before we launch ourselves down the path of unending self-congratulation perhaps a little self-examination on the critical issue of human rights may be in order. How does our government actually deal with known (some famous)

Ever since Video Hut opened for business 15 years ago in Los Feliz, the video rental store has been known for its wide, and eclectic, selection of movies. More than 28,000 videos are packed into the 6,000-square-foot store, ranging from the latest mainstream hits to classic, foreign, art-house and cult fare. But hidden behind a large green door at the back of the store is a smaller room filled with about 5,000 adult videos.

The tragic events in Hebron on Feb. 25 mark a black day in the history of the Middle East. In the first instance this atrocity is, of course, a tragedy for the Palestinian people, but it is also a tragedy for the Jewish people. While some may attempt to depict the perpetrator as irrational and capricious, it is reasonable to assume that Baruch Goldstein operated with a clear understanding of the human scale and the historical significance of his horrendous deed. First by choosing to act on the Jewish holiday of Purim, Goldstein was distorting the historical legacy and meaning of that festival.

For those who contend that the Northridge earthquake was an expression of divine wrath at the San Fernando Valley as the national capital of the sex video business, think again. The studios that produce the adventures of cheerleader nurses were shaken up, but not enough to prevent a swift recovery. Pornographic tapes are a $3-billion-a-year industry in the Valley.

Anti-pornography groups haven't squashed the X-rated home-video business but they have certainly inflicted damage. The industry, which prefers to be called adult rather than X-rated , is suffering from dwindling profits, decreasing visibility and a steady shrinkage of outlets. Anti-pornography groups such as Citizens for Decency Through Law and the American Family Assn.